Artist Audio Reflections: Marcy Speaks on 'Shoot the Breeze'

On view at the Mann Art Gallery, October 16, 2025 – January 10, 2026

Generously sponsored by RBC with support from Fresh Air Experience and the Prince Albert Historical Society

As part of her exhibition Shoot the Breeze, artist Marcy Friesen invites visitors to listen in on a series of personal reflections; stories behind the beadwork, photographs, and ideas that shape her creative world. Through humour, memory, and deep honesty, Friesen shares how art has become both a conversation and a form of healing.

Smoked Fish & Beaded Cigarettes

“Hello, it’s Marcy Friesen, @BeadArtistThoughts—welcome to Shoot the Breeze.”

The “Smoked Fish” photographs were taken at one of Marcy’s favourite fishing spots: Thunder Rapids Dam, about thirty minutes from her home. Each walleye in the series holds a beaded cigarette—an image that carries both humour and memory.

The cigarette itself belonged to her late father.

“We spent his last summer fishing a lot,” Marcy recalls. “I asked if I could borrow a smoke from him, and ended up putting it in the fish’s mouth. So here we have smoked fish.”

That small act became a symbol of connection and grief, and eventually, healing. Beading her father’s cigarettes transformed them into works of art—objects of memory, ritual, and laughter.

“It’s been very therapeutic for me,” she says. “I love fish, I love fishing, I love fish stories. Everyone has a smoking story—so share your stories, take the time to ‘shoot the breeze.'"

Drink It, Smoke It, Do It

This pair of works—a beaded Bebsi can and a pack of Player cigarettes—playfully invite viewers to Drink It and Smoke It. Beneath their humour, they carry an empowering message about self-worth and courage.

“I’ve been contemplating life lately,” Marcy shares. “Times I’ve been too scared to do things. Now I’m just like—let’s do it! Recognize the worth that you have, you get one life so make the most of it!”

Look closely, and you’ll notice hidden imagery embedded in the beadwork—visual surprises that invite curiosity and joy.

Fighting the Institution

This body of work explores systems of power and belonging. Friesen began by thinking about how value is measured—especially through the lens of race and colonization—and how Indigenous presence can transform established structures.

“I Googled the word indigenize,” she says, “and it’s about incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and relating into existing institutions. That got me thinking—who makes these rules anyway? Do I need to accept them? Do we?”

Through this work, Friesen embraces a shift from “rule follower” to rule challenger—an act of quiet rebellion that echoes through her practice.

Cigarettes as Lifelines

Beading cigarettes has become a meditative, deeply personal act for Friesen. Having quit smoking nearly three decades ago, she reflects on how a cigarette can symbolize time, breath, and the passage of life.

“A cigarette gets shorter and shorter as you smoke it,” she explains. “Sometimes in life, I’ve wanted to rush through hard times—just puff through it. Other times, I want to hold that smoke gently, watch it rise, and just sit with whatever I’m going through.”

Through this reflection, Marcy reframes the cigarette not as a habit, but as a metaphor for resilience and reflection.

Beyond the Moccasin

In Beyond the Moccasin, Friesen confronts the expectations placed on her as an Indigenous artist and craftsperson.

“Everyone wanted moccasins,” she recalls. “I got so tired of making them. I thought, I’m not a moccasin maker—I’m more than that.”

After time and reflection, she found a renewed appreciation for her craft and its lineage.

“I had to do some healing within myself,” she says. “Now I embrace the moccasin.”

The work celebrates identity, creativity, and self-definition—refusing to be boxed in by stereotype or expectation.

Visit the Exhibition

Shoot the Breeze is an invitation to slow down, listen, and connect—through stories, laughter, and reflection. Visit the Mann Art Gallery between October 16, 2025, and January 10, 2026 to experience the exhibition in person, or scan the QR codes in the gallery to hear Marcy’s full audio reflections.

You can go and listen now to Marcy here: https://mannartgallery.ca/about-3#shoot-the-breeze-audio-guide